Center of Attention
by ShadowVixxen
Summary: This is an AU (Alternate Universe) Naruto based series. The characters are all going to summer camp and our loner-type heroine Mina gets sent to the wrong camp. Enjoy. Also, just to clear up a few questions, this was originally a reader-insert series on my Quizilla account. Since that isn't allowed on here I just added a name and other information. Please stop asking.
1. Chapter 1

Mina grips the handle of her luggage excitedly as she waits with all the other teens for the summer camp busses to pull into the parking lot. Mina opens the pamphlet she's read a million times over and smiles again. She was looking forward to The Sweetest Camp; she'd worked her ass off to create an original dessert and win a spot in the best pastry camp in the state.

As far as she knew, Mina was the only one going to culinary camp. The other girls were heading to cheer or some other kind of girly camp, well, except TenTen and Temari, they were heading to fighting camp. And the boys, well, a shorter list would be the boys who weren't going to Camp All-Star, the sports camp.

The busses all pull in and the chatter immediately gets louder. Everyone makes a scramble for their bus and Mina looks around for her bus number. She gets on the bus and sat way in the back, putting in her headphones and closing her eyes. It was going to be a long bus ride to the greatest summer of her life and she wanted to be well rested and ready for it.

Mina is awakened by someone pulling out her earbud and prodding her. She lazily opens one eye to see the bus driver making a rather impatient face at her. "Are you getting off or not? I have places to be."

"Sorry," Mina says as she grabs her luggage and quickly exit's the bus. But she's startled when she steps off the bus. There are people, everywhere, but Mina sees old fashioned log bunk houses and not a girl in sight. Instead she sees sports equipment and half-naked, sweaty boys she goes to school with. She glances up at the arch that serves as the entrance to the camp and is shocked to see that it doesn't read "The Sweetest Camp."

It reads "Camp All-Star."

"No, this is a mistake." Mina turns around and shows her pamphlet to the bus driver. "I'm at the wrong camp."

But her plea has fallen on deaf ears. The driver has already closed the door and started backing away from the entrance of the camp. Mina scowls and heads towards the large cabin marked "Office" in the center of the camp. She goes into the building and is met with the familiar faces of her teachers Kakashi and Gai.

"Well isn't this a surprise." Gai folds his arms and smiles brightly at the girl as she sets down her violin case on the desk. "I never pegged you for the sporty type Mina."

"That's actually why I'm here," Mina replies with a smile. "I'm supposed to be at pastry camp but I got dropped off here instead. When do you think you could have a bus to take me to the right camp?"

"Well actually," Kakashi looks through a book on his desk before looking back up at his stranded student. "There won't be any busses coming to or from the camps for about a month and a half."

"So, what does that mean?"

"That means you're stuck here with us until the busses come." Kakashi smiles at her through his mask and stands up as Mina prevents herself from hyperventilating. A whole month and a half at the wrong camp? Mina doesn't even like sports let alone play any. Kakashi takes her luggage from her but Mina holds onto her violin case for dear life. "Come on Terra, let's go get you set up in a bunk okay?"

Mina follows Kakashi into the camp and right past a group of boys Mina knows by name: Naruto, Kiba, and Kankuro. Mina attempts to avoid catching their attention but Kankuro still sees her.

"Hey Naruto check it out," Kankuro points to Mina with his thumb as she walks by. "Isn't that the anti-social dweeb from school? Mina or whatever?"

"What's she doing here?" Kiba looks around Kankuro and stares at Mina. "All she ever does is eat sweets and read. It must be a mistake."

Naruto says nothing, just kind of stares at her as his friends go on, eventually finding something else to talk about.

Mina squeezes her eyes shut and tries not to be upset by their words. Yeah it's a mistake, but she doesn't need them to tell her that. It's not like she wants to be here or anything.

Kakashi takes her to a bunk house that's right next to the kitchens at the edge of the forest that outlines the camp. It's empty, but there's two beds in it and it's very clean. Kakashi carries her stuff in for her and tries a smile at her. "I know it's not pastry camp Mina, but it really could be worse. How about this? I can ask the chef if he would be interested in having you make the desserts."

"Really?!" Mina gets very excited. If she's going to be here for six weeks before going back to her own camp, she needs to stay at the top of her game. "I'd love that!"

"Great. I'll talk to him on my way back." Kakashi smiles at her with his eyes closed. "Why don't you go ahead and get settled in? Dinner is in an hour and we're having a camp meeting to pick the first week of sports training. I think you might like it here Mina. See you later."

Mina closes the door to her bunk and leans against it, taking a deep breath. So, she's stuck at a boys only sports camp for a month and a half with boys from her school. Great, but she had working in the kitchens to look forward to and honestly it was only a month and a half.

How bad could it possibly be?


	2. Chapter 2

Mina warily exits her bunk about forty-five minutes later, wearing shorts and a functional t-shirt over her favorite worn out sneakers. Mina was glad she'd planned on going for a run everyday at pastry camp and had packed plenty of work out clothes. She was going to need them. She doesn't see anyone in the immediate area so she completely emerges and heads towards where she hears all the voices.

All the boys are gathered around a large bonfire, dressed now, and laughing animatedly. Mina recognizes a lot of the boys at the camp. Naruto, Kiba and Kankuro to start, but then also Shikamaru, Gaara, Shino, Sai, Neji, and, of course, the delectable yet irritating Sasuke. Mina, feeling horribly out of place, doesn't bother to even go near the bonfire, she just stays far enough away not to be noticed.

"Mina? What are you doing here?" Lee's sudden appearance beside her nearly gives Mina a heart attack and she squeals a little. Mina slaps a hand over her mouth and retreats around the corner of the building she was standing next to, hoping no one at the bonfire heard her. Lee tilts his head and just kind of looks at her like she's crazy. "Why are you hiding?"

"It's a long story Lee," Mina replies with a sigh. She goes into the whole tale, carefully omitting the verbal slander from Kankuro and Kiba. When she's finished, Lee smiles at her and grabs her arm before pulling her towards the bonfire.

"Don't worry Mina! You'll fit in just fine with us!" Lee cheerfully drags the resisting girl towards the bonfire and Mina is forced to stand there while everyone stares at her like she's some kind of alien. Lee just beams out at the judging eyes. "Hey guys, Mina missed her bus and is going to be here with us until the busses come again in six weeks. Isn't that awesome?"

Judging by the various looks on people's faces, Mina judges that it is not, in fact, awesome. Mina attempts to yank her hand out of Lee's grip but he's got a firm grip on her. She feels really awkward but refuses to let anyone know, so she tries a nervous smile. "H-hi guys. Uhm, n-nice fire."

The place erupts into snickers and Mina blushes feverishly. How more awkward could she possibly be? She pulls on the hem of her shirt as they continue to laugh at her and lowers her head as the tears start to form in her eyes.

Lee quickly pulls Mina towards a log where Shikamaru and Shino are sitting. Lee does the introductions as Mina gets herself under control but doesn't meet anyone's eyes and no one actually talks to her, just around her. Finally, Kakashi and Gai join the rest of the group and a hush falls over them.

"Well dinner is in fifteen minutes but, since we're all here already, why don't we vote on our first sport?" Kakashi stands at the front of the group and takes a clipboard from Gai. "Our first two choices are soccer or track. All in favor of soccer move to the left, those in favor of track on the right."

Everyone gets up and moves to their respective sides except Mina, she wants nothing to do with picking the sport. Someone clears their throat and Mina looks up to see that the group is split exactly five and five.

Except her.

"Well Mina, looks like you get to be the tie breaker." Kakashi smiles at her and everyone's eyes turn on Mina. She kind of shrinks into herself, this was exactly the kind of attention she had been trying to avoid. Mina looks around the group and expectant eyes are waiting on her decision. She likes to run but she just knows she's going to fall on her face or something trying to play soccer with the boys…

"I…I like track and field," she says, just loud enough to hear. She glances to the right to see Naruto and Kiba high-five as Sasuke makes his usual uninterested face, and Lee and Sai just smile at her. She is about to offer a smile back when she sees the glares from the rest of the boys on the other side.

The dinner bell rings and the boys all run for the dinner hall, leaving Mina alone with the teachers. She follows the boys towards the mess hall but stops on the outside of an open window when she hears her name float through it.

"Can you believe Mina?" Mina presses herself against the wall and listens as Kankuro continues. "She's so weird. I mean, it's like she's never talked to anyone before."

"She hasn't talked to anyone before, didn't you know that?" Kiba laughs and so do a few other nameless voices. "All she does is read. She doesn't have any friends which is probably why she's the only one who wanted to go to pastry camp."

Mina locks her fingers together and squeezes before heading back towards her bunk, unable to face them. She walks by the door to the mess hall, debating on whether or not to run. Once she's out of the light from the opened doorway, Mina makes a break for it, running to her bunk and slamming the door before the tears come.

Blue and brown eyes following her figure go unnoticed as she sinks to the floor, and hugs her knees, just letting the tears come silently.


End file.
